Feeding two dogs when one is a hungry hungry hippo

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Jemymah
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:18 pm

Feeding two dogs when one is a hungry hungry hippo

Post by Jemymah »

Hi, back again for more advice please!
We are heading on a short break with our friends and their dog in Nov and I can foresee a bit of an issue.
Their dog gets fed twice a day from a bowl. He takes his time and may leave some food and come back to it later.
Our dog Casey is a bit different. She gets fed twice a day and we feed her exclusively from kongs etc otherwise she'd inhale her food then bark at us if we were still eating.
She will hoover up any other food that's available. She knows 'leave it' and is really good at it in a training scenario. When not training all bets are off.
The way we feed Casey works for us but it won't work when we are away. I know she will be joyfully headfirst into the other dogs breakfast if given half a chance. And he'll stand aside and let her do it, he's a very sweet boy.
We do have a crate for her which we are gradually getting her used to. I've only closed the door occasionally when she's having a chew. This is her 'place' and she knows 'go to your place'. Do you think feed her in the crate - maybe tie a Kong to the crate for starters before moving to closing the door?
I know it's probably not ideal that we don't eat unless she's eating but I don't see the point in upsetting her when we're happy enough with our current situation. If we're having a snack or lunch she's gets a frozen apple Kong or a chew.
Our friends think we should just tell her no or feed her after we eat but even if I thought that was worth doing (I don't. I don't like watching other people eat so why should she) it doesn't solve the problem of the two dogs different eating habits.
Help!
Casey, spaniel terrier mix, born Dec 2016
JudyN
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Re: Feeding two dogs when one is a hungry hungry hippo

Post by JudyN »

For when the dogs eat - feed them in separate areas, and when Casey has finished, take her for a short walk or game in the garden so the other dog can finish in peace. I would ask his owners to pick up his food after a certain amount of time, as I think it's unreasonable for them to expect Casey to leave his food if it's still lying around.

Or, if the weather is truly dreadful, get her used to being on a lead indoors while on a bed, so she can't get the other dog's food.

As for while the humans are eating, personally I would work on encouraging her to be quiet and settled while you eat. If you can teach 'stay in your place' as well as 'go to your place', then you may not need to shut the crate door. It's worth working both on her staying in the open crate and being used to the closed crate because both will be useful on occasion. If you do this gradually, it won't upset her, and if you have the back-up option of giving her kongs while the humans are eating you have a back-up plan so you don't need to feel pressured to teach it too fast. (I find if I think 'I wonder if I could train so-and-so' the process can be easier and quicker than if I feel I need to do it asasp.)

That's easy for me to say, because my lad worked out very quickly that there was no point pestering while we were eating so just dozes until the moment he hears our knives and forks go down on the empty plate (and then he pesters!) - Casey may well be less lazy and more persistent, so the right solution for you may be more about management than training.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Jemymah
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:18 pm

Re: Feeding two dogs when one is a hungry hungry hippo

Post by Jemymah »

Thanks JudyN, Casey is definitely persistent. If she runs out of food or if her Kong is too tricky (we freeze them) she either barks and whines (which we ignore) or puts her paws on my knees so she can stretch up and get her tongue over the edge of the table. Which although pretty cute isn't the best table manners.
I think Victoria had a video about a big lab going and staying in a place so I'll have a look at that.
Casey, spaniel terrier mix, born Dec 2016
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